Category: sugar
Aliases: HFCS, HFCS-55, HFCS-42, Glucose-fructose syrup, Isoglucose, Fructose-glucose syrup, Maize syrup
Enzymatically isomerized cornstarch hydrolysate: a free-monosaccharide syrup, not a glycoside, so it requires no luminal hydrolysis. HFCS-55 (beverage grade) is ~55% fructose / 42% glucose of dry solids, near-identical to sucrose's 50/50 split but with the monosaccharides unbound. Glucose is taken up via SGLT1/GLUT2 and raises blood glucose + insulin; fructose enters enterocytes/hepatocytes via GLUT5 and is trapped by ketohexokinase (fructokinase) as fructose-1-phosphate, bypassing PFK-1's rate-limiting step -> unregulated trioses feeding de novo lipogenesis, plus ATP depletion driving urate generation (hyperuricemia). Net sweetness ~ sucrose (~1.0x). GRAS in the US; no separate EU E-number (regulated as a sugar/food ingredient; HFCS-55, being fructose-predominant, is labeled 'fructose-glucose syrup' in the EU, whereas glucose-predominant grades like HFCS-42 are labeled 'glucose-fructose syrup').
No assigned EU E-number (regulated as a sugar/food ingredient, not a food additive; "isoglucose" in EU quota law). EU naming under Directive 2001/111/EC reflects the predominant monosaccharide: fructose >50% dry matter -> "fructose-glucose syrup" (so HFCS-55 is "fructose-glucose syrup"), while glucose-predominant grades (e.g. HFCS-42) are "glucose-fructose syrup". Sweetness roughly equal to sucrose (~1.0x, HFCS-55). No numeric ADI - added sugars carry an "acceptable daily intake not specified" status and are GRAS in the US; WHO advises limiting free sugars to <10% of energy. High fructose load is the key concern (hepatic de novo lipogenesis, hypertriglyceridemia, uric-acid elevation with chronic excess).